The gospel reading this evening is from the Gospel of John, chapter 13, verses 1 through 17, and 31 through 35. This is the gospel reading every year for Maundy Thursday. It is part of the story of Jesus and his disciples sharing a meal the evening before his arrest, it is different from the synoptic gospels. John’s unique story includes Jesus washing the feet of the disciples, and the commandment that Jesus gives them to love one another. The word Maundy comes from the Latin mandatum. Or in English mandate or command. In this reading, Jesus gives the disciples, and all of us, a “new commandment.”